Sakara’s Healthy Holiday Recipes

Eating healthy during January? No problem. Eating healthy during the holiday season? Not so much.

That’s why at Parsley we say eat WELL and eat A LOT. We turned to our friends at Sakara Life, whose recipes and meals truly embody beauty from the inside out. Whitney and Danielle have curated a sexy lifestyle that centers around fresh, natural, healthy food as the building block on which to create the rest of your life.

Instead of holding back, it’s time to nourish yourself with protein, greens, and healthy fats that make you feel satisfied and are good for you too. Try these three healthy holiday recipes that are equally at home on a Thanksgiving table or during a detox week and you’ll have the energy and mental clarity to soar through the rest of the holiday season without the bloat or guilt.

Sakara Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

Marinated Mushrooms

4 cups whole mushrooms, divided

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons nama shoyu or liquid aminos, divided

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Filling

1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked

1 tablespoon water

1 garlic cloves

1 shallot

1/4 cup rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon tarragon, minced

1 tablespoon thyme, minced

pinch of Himalayan salt

pinch black pepper

*garnish: handful of microgreens

Instructions

Remove the stems and gills from 2 cups of the mushrooms. Combine the nama shoyu, olive oil and maple syrup. Place the mushrooms and marinade in bowl, coat to combine. Marinate the mushrooms for about 3 hours so they absorb all of the juiciness. Cover the pumpkin and sunflower seeds with water. Soak these for at least 3 hours as well, and then rinse and drain.

Place the garlic and shallot in a food processor, chop finely and set aside. Place 2 cups of mushrooms in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Combine the mushrooms with the garlic and shallot. Process the soaked seeds in the food processor until a thick paste is achieved and add to bowl. Stir in the rosemary, tarragon, thyme, Himalayan salt and black pepper. Remove marinating mushroom tops and pat dry to remove excess olive oil. Spoon the seed mixture into drained, marinated mushroom tops. Garnish with a small handful of microgreens.

Sakara Brussels Sprout + Parsnip “Mini Burgers”

Ingredients

6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

2 large sweet or yellow onions, chopped

Himalayan salt, to taste

20 large brussels sprouts

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2-3 parsnips depending on size, peeled

5 teaspoons mustard

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F. Wash and cut the brussels sprouts in half from top to bottom. Place in a bowl and set aside. Wash, peel and cut the parsnips into ½ inch thick circles and set aside. Mix together 4 tbsp. olive oil, balsamic, garlic, cumin and cayenne in a bowl. Pour half of the mixture over the brussels sprouts and half of the mixture over the parsnips, keeping them in separate bowls.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil, heat for a minute, then add the onions and a sprinkling of salt. Stir frequently and lower to a low heat once they start to turn a brown color. Cook until caramelized, about 25 minutes, and set aside.

Bake the brussels sprouts and parsnips for about 20 minutes, until they are both tender with crisp edges.

Take a brussels sprout half and layer with mustard, onions and parsnip. Then add the other brussels sprout half on top, creating a “mini burger”. Stab with a toothpick so all ingredients stay in place.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Align the hazelnuts on the baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and allow to cool for just a few minutes. Remove the skin from hazelnuts by placing the nuts in a kitchen towel and rubbing them against one another. Set aside.

Slowly whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice. Toss the sliced pears, artichokes and onion in the lemon vinaigrette and arrange on a large plate in a thin layer. Sprinkle with Himalayan salt and freshly ground pepper. Then, garnish with toasted hazelnuts, zested lemon and fresh basil.